I have downloaded a virus disguised as an anti-virus named Protection systems. I can only access my programs through task manager except for windows explorer. I have downloaded Anti-Malware but it will not run and I have downloaded HijackThis but it will not install. Please help!!!

1. Please download The Avenger by Swandog46 to your DesktopLink: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Click on Avenger.zip to open the file

Extract avenger.exe to your desktop

2. Copy all the text contained in the code box below to your Clipboard by highlighting it and pressing (Ctrl C

Files to delete:C:\WINDOWS\system32\eventlog.dll

Note: the above code was created specifically for this user. If you are not this user, do NOT follow these directions as they could damage the workings of your system.

3. Now, start The Avenger program by clicking on its icon on your desktop.

Under "Input script here:", paste in the script from the quote box above.

Leave the ticked box "Scan for rootkit" ticked.

Then tick "Disable any rootkits found"

Now click on the Execute to begin execution of the script.

Answer "Yes" twice when prompted.

The Avenger will automatically do the following:

It will Restart your computer.

On reboot, it will briefly open a black command window on your desktop, this is normal.

After the restart, it creates a log file that should open with the results of Avengerís actions. This log file will be located at C:\avenger.txt

The Avenger will also have backed up all the files, etc., that you asked it to delete, and will have zipped them and moved the zip archives to C:\avenger\backup.zip.

4. Please copy/paste the content of c:\avenger.txt into your reply.

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Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Double Click mbam-setup.exe to install the application.

Make sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, then click Finish.

If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.

Once the program has loaded, select "Perform Full Scan", then click Scan.

The scan may take some time to finish,so please be patient.

When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.

Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.

When disinfection is completed, a log will open in Notepad and you may be prompted to Restart. (See Extra Note)

Please save the log to a location you will remember.

The log is automatically saved by MBAM and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.

Copy and paste the entire report in your next reply.

Extra Note:

If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove,you will be presented with 1 of 2 prompts,click OK to either and let MBAM proceed with the disinfection process. If asked to restart the computer, please do so immediately.

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Please post the log from The Avenger and the Malwarebytes log in your next reply.

!! NOTICE: This instruction is for this user only. If you are a lurker reading this, do not attempt it. !!

Please navigate to C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and attempt to rename it to iexplore.exeThen, double-click that to launch MBAM. Attempt to run a scan, and post the results in your next reply. If you cannot run the scan, please let me know.

Your logs reveal an information stealing trojan. If you do any banking or other financial transactions on the PC or it if it contains any other sensitive information, please get to a known clean computer and change all passwords where applicable, and it would be wise to contact those same financial institutions to apprise them of your situation as soon as possible.

If you do not have access to a known clean computer, you will still need to change your passwords, and all other sensitive information, but only once your system is deemed clean.

Please copy and paste these instructions to Notepad and save to your Desktop, or print them - for easier access.

It is important to rename ComboFix before the download.

Please do not rename ComboFix to other names, but only the one indicated.

After the download:

Close any open browsers.

Very Important: Temporarily disable your anti-virus, script blocking and any anti-malware real-time protection before performing a scan. They can interfere with ComboFix or remove some of its embedded files which may cause "unpredictable results". [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] if you don't know how.

WARNING: Combofix will disconnect your machine from the Internet as soon as it starts

Please do not attempt to re-connect your machine back to the Internet until ComboFix has completely finished.

If there is no Internet connection after running ComboFix, then restart your computer to restore back your connection.

Running ComboFix:

Double click on svchost.exe & follow the prompts.

It will attempt to install the Recovery Console:

When ComboFix finishes, it will produce a report for you.

Please post the "C:\Combo-Fix.txt" in your next reply.

Troubleshooting ComboFix

Safe Mode:

If you still cannot get ComboFix to run, try booting into Safe Mode, and run it there.

(To boot into Safe Mode, tap F8 after BIOS, and just before the Windowslogo appears. A list of options will appear, select "Safe Mode.")

Re-downloading:

If this doesn't work either, try the same method (above method), but try to download it again, except nameComboFix.exe to iexplore.exe, explorer.exe, or winlogon.exe.

Malware is known for blocking all "user" processes, except for its whitelist of system important processes such as iexplore.exe, explorer.exe, winlogon.exe.

I have since rebooted my PC and my desktop icons have reappeared. Combo Fix ran automatically and it asked me to select "Normal Starup" instead of "Selective Startup". Please let me know what to do next.

2009-09-20 c:\windows\Tasks\wrSpySweeper20060304144544.job- c:\program files\Webroot\Spy Sweeper\SpySweeperUI.exe [2006-07-28 21:16]..------- Supplementary Scan -------.uStart Page = [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]mStart Page = [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]uInternet Settings,ProxyOverride = *.localuSearchURL,(Default) = [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Trusted Zone: campbellsoup.com\workplacena.- - - - ORPHANS REMOVED - - - -

2009-09-28 c:\windows\Tasks\GoogleUpdateTaskUserS-1-5-21-57989841-606747145-725345543-1003UA.job- c:\documents and settings\Owner\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe [2008-09-27 01:14]..------- Supplementary Scan -------.uStart Page = [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]mStart Page = [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]uInternet Settings,ProxyOverride = *.localuSearchURL,(Default) = [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Trusted Zone: campbellsoup.com\workplacena.- - - - ORPHANS REMOVED - - - -

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This is very dangerous, as multiple AVs can interfere with one another and actually allow MORE viruses to get through. It is important that only ONE antivirus program is running realtime protection.I strongly suggest you either (1) uninstall all but one antivirus program through Control Panel->Add or remove Programs,OR (2) keep the programs, but leave all but one of them disabled most of the time.You can still use them for scanning your computer.

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Please download the newest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Before installing: it is important to remove older versions of Acrobat Reader since it does not do so automatically and old versions still leave you vulnerable.Go to the Control Panel and enter Add or Remove Programs.Search in the list for all previous installed versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Uninstall/Remove each of them.

Once old versions are gone, please install the newest version.

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Please download the newest version of Java from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Before installing: it is important to remove older versions of Java since it does not do so automatically and old versions still leave you vulnerable.Go to the Control Panel and enter Add or Remove Programs.Search in the list for all previous installed versions of Java. (J2SE Runtime Environment). Please uninstall/remove each of them.

Once old versions are gone, please install the newest version.

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Please read the following information that I have provided, which will help you prevent malicious software in the future. Please keep in mind, malware is a continuous danger on the Internet. It is highly important to stay safe while browsing, to prevent re-infection.

Software recommendations

Firewall

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]: the free version is just as good as the premium. I have linked you to the free version.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]: the free version is just as good as the premium. I have linked you to the free version. The optional security suite enhances the firewall by 40% increase. If you would like to install the suite that includes antivirus, then remove your old antivirus first.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]SpywareBlaster is a program that prevents spyware from installing on your computer. A tutorial on using SpywareBlaster may be found [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].Spybot - Search & Destroy is a spyware and adware removal program. It also has realtime protection, TeaTimer to help safeguard your computer against spyware. (The link for Spybot - Search & Destroy contains a tutorial that will help you download, install, and begin using Spybot).

NOTE: Please keep ALL of these programs up-to-date and run them whenever you suspect a problem to prevent malware problems.

Resident Protection helpA number of programs have resident protection and it is a good idea to run the resident protection of one of each type of program to maintain protection. However, it is important to run only one resident program of each type since they can conflict and become less effective. That means only one antivirus, firewall, and scanning anti-spyware program at a time. Passive protectors such as SpywareBlaster can be run with any of them.

Rogue programs helpThere are a lot of rogue programs out there that want to scare you into giving them your money and some malware actually claims to be security programs. If you get a popup for a security program that you did not install yourself, do NOT click on it and ask for help immediately. It is very important to run an antivirus and firewall, but you can't always rely on reviews and ads for information. Ask in a security forum that you trust if you are not sure. If you are unsure and looking for anti-spyware programs, you can find out if it is a rogue here:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Securing your computer

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - It is very important to make sure that both Internet Explorer and Windows are kept current with the latest critical security patches from Microsoft. To do this just start Internet Explorer and select Tools > Windows Update, and follow the online instructions from there.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] replaces your current HOSTS file with one containing well known ad sites and other bad sites. This prevents your computer from connecting to those sites by redirecting them to 127.0.0.1, which is your local computer's loopback address, meaning it will be difficult to infect your computer in the future.

Please consider using an alternate browserMozilla's Firefox browser is a very good alternative. In addition to being generally more secure than Internet Explorer, it has a very good built-in popup blocker and add-ons, like NoScript, can make it even more secure. Opera is another good option.

Then, delete any shortcuts on all Desktops that refer to Internet Explorer. Also, delete any entries in the Start Menu that refer to Internet Explorer. Which means, the only way to access IE, is C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe

If you want to force the usage of Google Chrome, make shortcuts to the program on the Desktops. It will probably be in the Start Menu as well.